GPS (Global Positioning System), Galileo, and Glonass (GLNS) are examples of earth-satellite-based electronic systems for enabling satellite receivers in ships, aircraft, land vehicles, mobile devices, and land stations to determine time and their geographic and spatial position such as in latitude, longitude, and altitude. These and other GNSS (global navigation satellite systems in general) exist or will exist. Discussion of particular GNSS herein is without limitation to other GNSS and other analogous electronic systems as well as applicable receiver circuits in a variety of telecommunication systems.
It would be desirable to even more accurately, reliably, rapidly, conveniently and economically maintain accurate time, position, velocity, and/or acceleration estimation in a communication device having a satellite positioning receiver (SPR) or other receiver and its clock source.
Availability of more GLNS satellites and upcoming Galileo satellites is driving interest in using them to further improve urban canyon reception. Large numbers of end-users reside in or work in areas with urban canyons so that the public importance and commercial importance of multiple-GNSS reception is high.
Past technology to support GPS, Galileo and Glonass has employed dual RF chains to support multiband RF. GPS and Galileo both lie in a band from about 1573-1577 MHz, and Glonass is in a band from about 1597-1606 MHz. Dual RF chains are likely to be double in terms of area and power, which is problematic and may diminish the attractiveness of a product to potential customers.
One approach might provide a local oscillator LO1 at 1579 MHz to a first RF chain having 2-6 MHz passband for GPS/Galileo and a second oscillator LO2 at 1596 MHz to a second RF chain having 2-11 MHz passband for Glonass.
Another approach might provide a local oscillator LO at 1579 MHz to a first RF chain having 2-6 MHz passband for GPS/Galileo, and apply the LO to a second RF chain having bandpass filter with 19-28 MHz passband for Glonass.
Using technology as above, even if a low-noise amplifier (LNA) were shared, increases chip and system cost to include or enable Glonass, for instance, in a GPS navigation product, which impedes adoption of such technology.
Some ways of solving these problems and others would be most desirable in this art.